People are accustomed to and expect cleanliness in homes, hotels, service stations and the like. A filthy washroom in a commercial establishment is both disgusting and unforgettable, particularly if it is in a restaurant. In the domestic area, homeowners are also concerned with maintaining a clean bathroom.
Unfortunately, due to the basic design of the toilet, it is difficult to keep it clean for any period of time. The area around the inside rim of the toilet bowl is virtually inaccessible, and invites the lodging and multiplication of waste bacteria and germs. Therefore, even a toilet that looks clean may not be truly sterile, as the bacteria clings to the underside of the rim. The more clean this troublesome area is, the longer the entire toilet bowl looks and stays clean.
Many devices have been made and proposed to help clean sanitary appliances, such as the toilet bowl. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,397,056 to Miller describes a power assisted device for cleaning toilet bowls, which includes an elongated stem portion having a brush at the distal end thereof, and a spray outlet port proximate to the brush. The brush is joined to a reciprocally rotating shaft extending through the stem to provide agitation to the brush. At the proximal end of the stem, a housing includes a pump connected between a liquid cleanser tank and tubing extending from the pump to the spray outlet. The housing includes rechargeable batteries to drive the pump and a motor assembly that drives the brush.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,102 to Madison describes a portable hand held cleaning device adapted to receive various cleaning implements, such as bristle brushes, abrasive wheels, chisels, and the like, into a tool engaging member. The tool engaging member is preferably operable by a rechargeable battery to selectively rotate and/or reciprocate at varying speeds. The rechargeable battery is included in a housing. The tool engaging member is preferably displaceable to improve the efficiency of the cleaning device in hard to reach areas. The housing may further include plumbing and a pump for delivering fluid from a cleansing fluid container to a discharge proximate the cleaning tool engaging member.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,334 to Henriquez et al. describes a dispensing scrubber apparatus that includes a pistol-shaped housing which has a hand-grip portion and a scrubber-holder portion. A primary fluid conveyance assembly includes, in sequence, an inlet end, a pre-valve conduit, a valve assembly, a post-valve conduit, and an outlet end. A flexible hose has one end connected to the inlet end of the primary fluid conveyance assembly and has another end that includes a faucet connector. Rechargeable batteries are housed within the housing and power a DC motor. A trigger-containing switch assembly is connected between the motor and the batteries. A drive shaft is connected to the motor, and a scrubber head is connected to the drive shaft. A spray nozzle is connected to the outlet end of the post-valve conduit. The drive shaft is hollow and forms a portion of the post-valve conduit of the primary fluid conveyance assembly. The fluid is sprayed near the brush.